Dry but chillier weather predicted for Bay Area before midweek showers

People walk along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

The Bay Area is expected to get a brief reprieve from seasonal rainfall over the next couple of days, with cooler but mostly dry conditions through Tuesday.

San Francisco and East Bay highs will hover in the mid-50s, with winds from the north carrying a light chill, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are forecast to dip into mid-40s for overnight lows.

Some North Bay areas could approach freezing, according to meteorologist David King.

Despite some spotty showers off the coastline over the ocean, Sunday and Monday should remain dry for land dwellers, King said.

The next precipitation event won’t turn up until midweek, with light rains from the northwest predicted for Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The rainfall is expected to be widespread but modest. San Francisco and East Bay residents can look for up to a quarter of an inch, while higher elevations in Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains could see between half an inch and an inch of rain.

Some higher elevations of the Sierra could see snow, King said, “but this isn’t a major, massive winter juggernaut.”

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The next showers are expected to show up by the beginning of the weekend, but King said it’s too early for a more precise forecast.

San Francisco’s seasonal rainfall has been lighter than average. The city has collected about 4.1 inches since Oct. 1, putting it about on track for last year’s total of 4.35 inches in the same time period.

Normal rainfall in that period is about 6.21 inches, said meteorologist Steve Anderson.

Burn scar areas from this year’s Kincade Fire in Sonoma County aren’t at a high risk of landslides, which are caused by heavy rainfall in a short period of time.

“It would take something much worse than we’ve seen so far this year,” Anderson said. “And it’s impossible to say whether that will happen or not.”

Megan Cassidy is a crime reporter with The Chronicle, also covering cops, criminal justice issues and mayhem. Previously, Cassidy worked for the Arizona Republic covering Phoenix police, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and desert-area crime and mayhem. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Missouri, and has additionally worked at the Casper Star-Tribune, National Geographic and an online publication in Buenos Aires. Cassidy can be reached on twitter at @meganrcassidy, and will talk about true crime as long as you’ll let her.